Unlock the Secret Power of Novellas to Transform Your Writing Overnight
Ever feel like you’re stuck trying to choose between writing a quick short story or diving headfirst into a sprawling novel that feels more like a marathon than a sprint? Yeah, me too. When I started out, short stories seemed like the friendlier route—bite-sized, manageable, no endless commitment. But almost everyone around me was charging toward novel writing like it was the only “real” fiction path. Here’s the kicker: what if the sweet spot, that golden middle ground, is where the real magic happens? That space—occupied by the often-overlooked novella—offers writers a playground of depth without drowning in complexity. It’s long enough to build something meaningful, but short enough to keep your sanity intact. I’ve been there—overwhelmed by the leap from thousands to tens of thousands of words, stuck in the muddled middle of a draft, and ready to call it quits. But exploring that cozy zone between short story and novel not only rekindled my love for storytelling, it gave me a way forward, balancing ambition with approachability. Curious why you might want to give this overlooked form a closer look? Let’s dig in. LEARN MORE.
Why fiction writers should explore the space between short stories and novels
When I first started writing fiction, I wrote short stories, but most books on the craft I read assumed you wanted to write a novel. And when I joined writing groups, I noticed that most writers were working on novels.
At first, I was perplexed by why so many new writers jumped straight into novel-writing. Sure, I wanted to get published, and I knew that most people associate fiction with novels — after all, most of us fiction fans tend to read them. But for me, writing short stories felt like a more natural first step as a beginner.
Eventually, I followed suit, but making the leap from a few thousand words to tens of thousands was overwhelming. It reminded me of a quote from Stephen King’s On Writing:
“Writing fiction, especially a long work of fiction can be difficult, lonely job; it’s like crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a bathtub. There’s plenty of opportunity for self-doubt” — Stephen King, On Writing
It was easy to get lost in the middle of a first draft, discouraged to the point of wanting to give up. Even when I pushed forward, my manuscript would become such a mess that editing felt impossible. Eventually, it would sit untouched, never to see the light of day.
After taking a break from my critique group in 2020, I rediscovered the joy of writing for myself again. This helped me better understand my process and refine my approach to storytelling. Somehow, it led me to writing novellas.
What is a novella?
A novella is a work of fiction that falls between a short story and a novel. Unlike short stories, which tend to be brief and straightforward, or novels, which often feature multiple subplots and deep character development, novellas strike a balance between the two.
According to Writer’s Digest, a novella is about 15,000 to 40,000 words. Because publishers might not market a book as a novella, you might have read one without realizing it — perhaps a slim novel under 200 pages, like George Orwell’s Animal Farm, or an lengthy short story tucked into an anthology like Stephen King’s You Like It Darker.
